Donations from tech leaders will help boost Internet connection in public schools

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are among several philanthropists who have pledged $9 million to a nonprofit organization that is trying to bring the faster Internet connections to public school classrooms. The Washington Post reports that Zuckerberg has pledged to give $3 million and Gates has promised to give $2 million to EducationSuperHighway, a San Francisco-based nonprofit. Other, smaller foundations have agreed to give $4 million to the organization. Nearly all public schools are connected to the Internet, but EducationSuperHighway says an estimated 72 percent of public schools lack the broadband speeds necessary to take full advantage of online resources.